Developer Preview 3 for Android P Released

As expected based on the timelines provided by Google, Developer Preview 3 of Android P has been released for those in the Android Beta Program. The release of this second public beta is an important milestone for the next version of Android as it finalizes the API set for the build so developers can begin in earnest testing and updating their apps to be compatible with them.

There are not a significant number of changes between the first beta build and this one overall. Most of the updates are fixes behind the scenes as well as updating some security permissions, particularly how the phone call log is accessed. There are also 157 new emoji in this build.

One thing that was confirmed in this update is that P will be known as Android 9.0. The version number now appears in the System information page in settings.

If you have a Google Pixel device or one of the supported devices in the beta program, like the Essential Phone, you should have the update ready and available to you as an OTA update. If you have a compatible device, you can join the Android Beta Program and download Android P to your phone. Keep in mind however that it is beta software and there are known issues with the build currently, most notably NFC and Bluetooth issues. The former means that things like Google Pay won’t work properly.

From this point forward, the speed of Android P updates will increase. Developer Preview 4 is expected before the end of this month while DP5, which will be the Release Candidate, will be in late July or August. The general release is expected in Q3, so likely late August or September.